MAAVINAKAYI TAMBLI

MAAVINAKAYI TAMBLI

Raw Mangoes or unripe mangoes (Maavinakayi in Kannada and Kachchi Keri in Hindi) are freely available in the summer months in India. They are consumed in large numbers as they are known to  to have a cooling effect on our bodies apart from having other numerous health benefits.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes using Raw Mangoes such as:-

• Aam ka Panna, a refreshing drink from North India
• Maavinkayi Chitranna, raw mango rice from Karnataka
• Mamidkaya Pappu  raw mango dal from Andhra Pradesh

Today's recipe Maavinakayi Tambli is for a side dish from my home State of Karnataka. Tambli ( also called "Tambuli") is like a raita that is served with rice. This makes it eminently suitable for the hot summer months as it has curds as well as raw mangoes.  I have adapted this from Mavinakayi Tambli from Aharam Online.

 I have used the Totapuri variety of raw mango today so there was no need to peel the skin. If you are using any other variety of raw mango, it it better to peel the skin.
The paste made of coconut ground with mustard and chillies gives this dish its distinctive taste.
Please do try it out and I am sure you will enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients:-

• Raw Mango, cut into pieces, 1/2 cup 
• Fresh Curds, 1 cup
• Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Green Chillies, 4
• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp 
• Salt, to taste

For Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida, 1/8 tsp 
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 2, broken into halves
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Coconut Oil, 1 tsp

Method:-

Wash and chop the raw mango ( no need to peel the skin) 

In a mixer jar, grind together the raw mango pieces along with the fresh coconut gratings, green chillies, mustard seeds and turmeric powder to a smooth paste adding just the required amount of water. Keep aside
Whisk the fresh curds in a vessel
To this add the ground raw mango- coconut-chilli-mustard paste and salt to taste and mix well
Add water as required to adjust the consistency of the tambli
The tambli should not be too thick or too thin
Check for salt and add only if required
In a small pan, heat oil and on medium heat add the mustard seeds
When they splutter add the asafoetida, broken red chillies and curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds
Add this seasoning to the tambli
Transfer Maavinkayi Tambli to serving bowl and serve with hot steamed rice

CABBAGE MOR KOOTU

CABBAGE MOR KOOTU

In our South Indian cooking, we make use of curds/yogurt in a number of dishes. It is supposed to help keep your system stay cool. We also use curds to make different side dishes which accompany the main meal. Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for Curry Leaves Raita, Mor Kuzhambu, and Avial.

Today's recipe is called Cabbage Mor Kootu which gets its name from "Mor" being the Tamil name for curds. "Kootu" is a curry made with vegetables and lentils.

As you know, cabbage is a vegetable that gets cooked really fast so this dish can be made at fairly short notice. It also does not use onions or garlic. This mildly spiced dish can be served as an accompaniment  with rice and sambar/rasam or had with chappatis.

I have adapted this recipe from Cabbage Morkootu from Gita's Kitchen.

Ingredients:-

• Cabbage, 500 gms. 
• Thick Curds, 1 cup
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 4 tbsp
• Green Chillies, 4
• Chana Dal, (Bengal Gram), 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste 

For Seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig 
• Coconut Oil, 2 tsp

Method:-

Wash and finely chop the cabbage

Soak the chana dal in water for about 10 minutes
Cook the cabbage in a vessel by adding water ( less than 1 cup) and salt until it gets done.
In a mixer, grind together the coconut gratings, green chillies, soaked chana dal to a smooth paste adding just the required amount of water
Add this ground paste to the curds and mix well
Next, add the mixture of curds and the ground paste to the cooked cabbage, mix well and bring to a boil
Let this simmer on low flame
In a pan, heat the coconut oil and on medium heat add the mustard seeds
When the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds
Add this seasoning to the mor kootu
Lastly, add 1/2 tsp of coconut oil to the Cabbage Mor Kootu
Serve hot as an accompaniment to rice and sambar/rasam

CURD RICE

CURD RICE

While checking the blog posts recently, I realised that I had not yet posted one of the most popular yet easy to make rice items, which is Curd Rice. It is made all over South India as comfort food being called Mosaranna in Kannada, Thayir Sadam in Tamil, and Daddojanam in Telugu.

 It is often used as standard fare for a tiffin or lunch box or for travel. In most houses, curd rice is served as the last item of the meal. It is also considered good for digestion.

Like with any other dish, curd rice is made in different forms to suit one's taste. Some add milk while others prefer just curds without any milk. In my house, we don't mash it too much but many prefer it totally mashed. The garnish is traditionally done with coriander leaves but these days adding pomegranate, grated carrot or green seedless grapes is considered quite acceptable.

Do remember that white rice when cooked yields about three times the quantity. So the 1/2 cup of rice used in this recipe when cooked will yield 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked rice.

It is advisable to use fresh curds to make curd rice. However, the curds must be adequately sour. Be aware that if the curds are too sour, it will adversely affect the taste of the curd rice.

The moisture in the curd rice tends to get absorbed.  If this happens and it becomes too dry, you may like to get the consistency you desire by adding more curds or milk.

Ingredients:

• Rice, uncooked, 1/2 cup
• Curds, 1 to 1 and 1/4 cup
• Milk, 1/4 cup
• Green Chillies, finely chopped, 1-2
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal, (Black Gram Dal), 1 tsp
• Ginger, finely chopped, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, chopped, a few
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 1 tbsp, for garnish
• Pomegranate Arils, for garnish
• Oil, 2 tsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Wash the rice and and cook it in a pressure cooker adding 1 and 1/2 cups of water ( three times the quantity of rice)
If you prefer the rice to be more soft, you should add 1/2 cup of water more
Cook for  4-5 whistles or till the rice is done
Allow the cooker to cool and remove the cooked rice
While the rice is still hot, mash it with the back of a spoon
Once it is sufficiently cooled, add the curds and mix
Next add the milk and mix once again
Add the finely chopped green chillies and salt to taste and mix the curd rice well making sure there are no lumps
Heat oil in a pan and when it gets hot on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the urad dal
Saute till the dal changes colour
Next add the finely chopped ginger and the chopped curry leaves and saute for a few seconds
Pour this seasoning on the curd rice and mix well
Finally, garnish with pomegranate arils and finely chopped coriander leaves
Serve with pickle

DAHI BHINDI

DAHI BHINDI

At home, we like okra/lady's fingers and make dishes using them quite often. They have numerous health benefits too. In India, you will find okra or lady's fingers as they are more commonly called, used in different cuisines.  Elsewhere. in this blog, you will find recipes for a popular Punjabi dish called Bharwan Bhindi;  for Bhenda Sagle from Konkani cuisine; and for Bhindi Shengdana from Maharashtra.

Today's recipe gets it's name from two important ingredients "Bhindi" the Hindi word for lady's fingers/okra and "Dahi" the Hindi word for curds. This has been adapted from Dahi Bhindi in Manjula's Kitchen.

Tips :

* Take care to use tender lady's fingers for best results
* Make sure the curds used are fresh
* When adding the curds, lower the flame as they will curdle if added on high flame

We thoroughly enjoyed having this with hot rotis.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Curds (Dahi), 1 cup
• Lady's Fingers/Okra (Bhindi) , 250-300 grams  
• Mustard Seeds, (Rai), 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, (Jeera), 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida, (Hing) a large pinch 
• Bengal Gram (Besan), 1 tbsp
• Coriander (Dhania) Powder, 2 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Turmeric (Haldi) Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Water, 1/2 to 3/4 cup
• Salt,  to taste
• Oil, 3 tbsp

Method:

Wash and pat dry the lady's fingers. Snip off both the ends, cut the lady's fingers into 1" pieces.

Add 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and when it gets hot add the lady's fingers pieces and stir fry them  for 7-8 minutes or till they are tender and change colour

Transfer the lady's fingers to a bowl and keep aside.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to the same pan and when it gets moderately hot add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds and saute till they sizzle and change colour and add the asafoetida

Saute for a few seconds.
Lower the flame and add the besan. Stir fry for about 1 minute until it gives off a good aroma and becomes slightly golden brown in colour

Now add the curds, turmeric powder, chilli powder,  and coriander powder and mix well

Cook for 2-3 minutes till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.
Add 1/2 cup of water and salt and bring to a boil

Add the lady's fingers, mix well and cook for about 2 minutes
The gravy will thicken when the dish cools so add a little more water and bring to a boil again
Allow the gravy to simmer for another 2 minutes
Transfer to serving bowl and serve with jeera rice or rotis, parathas.

RAJASTHANI KADHI

RAJASTHANI KADHI

We just returned from a short vacation in Udaipur in Rajasthan. We had the famous Rajasthani kadhi there and I wanted to try it out for myself. The kadhi is a versatile curd/yogurt based dish made with besan (Bengal Gram Flour) and spices.

I am of course used to the Gujarati Kadhi whose recipe you will find elsewhere in this blog.

Today's recipe has been adapted from Rajasthani Pakoda Kadhi by the famous cookery expert, Tarlaji Dalal. I didn't make pakodas since they need to be deep fried. Instead I made just the kadhi which we enjoyed with peas pulao.

The curds/yogurt used for this dish should preferably be slightly sour rather than sweet.

Ingredients:

• Curds/Yogurt (Dahi), 2 cups
• Bengal Gram Flour, (Besan), 2 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder, (Haldi), 1/4 tsp
• Cinnamon, (Dalchini) 1 stick
• Cloves ( Lavang) 2
• Whole Dry Kashmiri Red Chillies, 2
• Fennel Seeds (Saunf), 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Seeds (Dhania), 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds (Jeera), 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds (Methi), 1/4 tsp
• Grated Ginger (Adrak), 1/2 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Water, 2 and 1/2 cups
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

In a large bowl, using a whisk combine together the curds, besan, turmeric powder, and salt with 2 and 1/2 cups of water to form a mixture. Make sure they are well combined and the besan does not form lumps. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a deep non-stick pan, on medium heat add the cinnamon, followed by cloves, red chillies, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, grated ginger, curry leaves and lastly the chilli powder. Saute for a few seconds making sure the spices don't get burnt.
To this add the mixture of curds and besan prepared earlier.
Mix well and cook on medium flame for about 5- 8 minutes stirring from time to time. It is essential that you stir from time to time to avoid the kadhi getting burnt at the bottom.
Serve hot with rice, pulao, or rotis

INSTANT KHARVAS

INSTANT KHARVAS

Here's wishing all of you a very Happy, Bright, and Prosperous New Year. May 2017 bring for you the best of health and every happiness. To start the New Year on a sweet note, today I share how we make Instant Kharvas or Possu. This also happens to be the 500th post in my blog!

When we were children a sweet dish called Posu in my mother tongue, Konkani used to be made at home. The speciality of this dish was that it was made from the colostrum milk of the cow that had just calved. This dish is called Kharvas in Marathi and Ginnu in Kannada.

These days getting colostrum milk is itself a problem in our cities. Today's recipe is for making Instant Kharvas where we use store bought condensed milk and milk powder instead of the traditional colostrum milk.

In making this dish, please ensure that you do not place the weight on the pressure cooker when the posu/kharvas is being steamed. In this recipe, 1 cup = 200 ml.

Ingredients:

• Amul Mithai Mate Condensed Milk, 200 gms
  
• Milk, 1 cup
• Fresh Curds, 1 cup
• Nandini Milk Powder, 1/2 cup
• Sugar, 2 tbsp or to taste
• Cardamom, 3-4
• Saffron, a few strands

Method:

Crush the cardamoms adding a pinch of sugar to a fine powder. Keep aside

Mix together the condensed milk and the milk in a large bowl

Add curds and milk powder

Stir well and make sure that there are no lumps

Add sugar and mix well till the sugar fully dissolves

Add a little of the cardamom powder 

Now pour this mixture into a flat container

Sprinkle of the rest of the cardamom powder and the saffron strands

Add adequate water in the pressure cooker, and place the container in it uncovered

Steam for about 25-30 minutes without placing the weight of the pressure cooker

Switch off the gas, remove the container and check to see if the posu/kharvas is cooked by poking a toothpick in it

It should come out clean when properly cooked

Allow it to cool and refrigerate it for a few hours

Cut the posu/kharvas into pieces of the desired shape 

Serve chilled

CAPSICUM (BELL PEPPER) RAITA

CAPSICUM RAITA

Capsicum (Bell Pepper) continues to be one of my favourites. This light raita or salad is made of bell pepper and yogurt. This simple yet tasty dish is very easy to make and serves as a good accompaniment to the main meal.

Since I love to try out new forms of presenting a dish, today I offer this in a capsicum basket and bowl.

Ingredients:

• Capsicum ( Bellpepper), medium- sized, 2
• Thick curds (Yogurt), 1 cup, slightly sour
• Coconut gratings, 1 tbsp. (optional)
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, for seasoning

For Seasoning:

• Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Jeera, 1/2 tsp
• Dried Red Chilly, 1 or Green Chilly, 1
• Asafoetida, (Hing) ,a small pinch
• Curry leaves, a few

Method:
Wash and chop the capsicum into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan
Saute the capsicum pieces adding salt as required taking care not to overcook them. They should remain crisp.
Add the coconut gratings to the thick curds
Next add, the sautéed capsicum pieces to the thick curds
Finally season with mustard, jeera, red chilly, asafoetida and curry leaves.
Serve chilled or plain as per taste.